Lesson 3 TOPIC 3: The Aims of Education • Explore the aims of

• Franklin: The Academy education that has influential

• Jefferson: Education for citizenship impact on an individual’s
• Webster: Schoolmaster of the Republic character, mind and physical
• National Education Policy Malaysia ability.

Why This Lesson

In this lesson, we will be exploring the aims of education in the early national period during the American
Revolution that brought a new approach to the education system, that emphasis on local cultural identity and
influenced of politics. On top of that, students will be exposed to National Education Policy in Malaysia that put
forward local cultures and identities.
flection Activity
Aim of Education

The aim of education is to promote the well-being of those being educated. Personal well-being is not self-
contained; it has a large altruistic dimension to it. Individuals can flourish with title or no concern for others.
Education’s role is via the formation of dispositions and the enlargement of understanding. Enable teachers to
determine curriculum, relevant teaching strategies, tactics, and techniques together with the structuring of
conducive learning. Educational aims are necessary in giving the necessary direction to educational activities.

© UNITAR International University 1 Prepared by: Rabiha Maya Adiera

 Education today is science-
oriented, and technology based.
Students are acquired to obtain
new information and keep
themselves updated.

Exploration of
Knowledge
Philosophy of life and educational
Preservation of cultural heritage aims are closely related. In fact,
and tradition from one generation philosophy determines the aims of
to another generation is great Cultural Philosophy of
Factors Life education. Education is the best
influence on the aims of means for propagation of
education. philosophy. Philosophy and
education are the two sides of a
coin.

One of the factors to consider

Socio- Considered by the Idealist as
in designing the aims of
economic Elements of unfolding of the divine in man as
education is by looking at the
factors and Human Nature the aim of education.
socio-economic background of
the community. problems

Political Religious
Ideologies Factors

Religious factors exert their influence

Education today is science oriented, on education aims. For instance, the
and technology based. Students are teaching of Buddhism, Hinduism,
acquired to obtain new information Islam and others that emphasizes on
and keep themselves updated. the equality and

Franklin: The Academy

Benjamin Franklin, an American printer, writer, patriot, diplomat, and physicist,

was born in January 1706 to a modest family in Boston, Massachusetts. With the
limited formal education, Franklin spent a significant portion of his early years in
the newspaper business. Accordingly, in his twelfth year, he appreciated himself
until his twentieth year, to his younger brother James who had returned to Boston
from England with a new printing outfit. Franklin left Boston, visiting London in
between his stays in Philadelphia. He started his own printing shop before gaining
ownership of the Pennsylvania Gazette.

Franklin developed himself into a community leader which he played an important role in the establishment of
notable Philadelphia institutions, including a library and the school that would later become the University of
Pennsylvania. Through his famous kite-flying experiment, Franklin verified that lightning transmits a powerful
electrical charge. To protect against lightning’s ability to set homes ablaze, Franklin invented the lightning rod,
which was designed to extend above buildings and to redirect lightning’s energy into the ground.

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Although Benjamin Franklin is best known as a Founding Father, he held this role later in his life. Franklin served on
the Committee of Five that was tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence. Franklin’s work in guiding
the country through its transition from British colonies to independent nations was invaluable. His Albany Plan
made way for the Articles of Confederation, and he advocated for American rights against British tax impositions
under the Stamp Act. His extraordinary diplomatic activity helped forge the American alliance with France during
the Revolutionary War, and, when his side emerged victorious, he helped to draw up the Treaty of Paris.

After the settlement of colonists in America, they brought with them the ideas of education that had been
followed for generations. In early 1743, Franklin drew up proposals for an Academy, but his proposals were
abandoned until 1749. Franklin believed that science could solve the problems of human life and that knowledge
came from the senses, observation, and experimentation. He believed that knowledge should be applied to
human affairs, the economy, and society. He valued formal education and schooling, and he established a plan
for an English-language grammar school in Philadelphia in 1749. The proposal was important because it exposed
the stimulus for a new education to accompany the new republic.

The school would teach English, rather than Latin, and devise a curriculum that illustrated scientific and practical
skills. It would provide knowledge that would prepare people who could make contributions to society, politics,
government, and occupations and professions. He wanted the school equipped with laboratories and workshops
that contained books, maps, globes, etc; so that students would be aware of the relationships between learning
and the environment around them. The teachers would emphasise both practical and ethical elements of the
skills and subjects that they taught.

The English grammar school did not flourish. The headmaster did not want to implement the innovations required
for the school's success. Franklin's educational proposals illustrated the emergent trends of the revolutionary and
early national period and also anticipated the course of America's future in education. The scientific and
utilitarian subjects and methods broke sharply with the classical tradition. This showed the English language would
become the language of educated persons involved in building a new nation. His proposals pointed the way to
a more comprehensive educational institution that would offer students a varied curriculum suited to the needs
of an emerging and developing nation.

Yale honoured Franklin with the honorary degree of master’s in arts in 1753 for his scientific accomplishments.
Starting in 1954, Yale became home to the grandest collection of Franklin Papers, or documents and images
related to Benjamin Franklin, in existence. With the diligent work of a team of scholars, Franklin’s papers were
collected and edited. Forty-one volumes of the papers have been published to date, and most of the works are
housed in Sterling Memorial Library and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Watch this video: https://youtu.be/X_NX-s0zc_w

Reflection activity
What lesson can we learn from Benjamin Franklin?

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 Jefferson: Education for Citizenship

Thomas Jefferson was a spokesman for democracy, an American

statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and founding
father who served as the principal author of the Declaration of
Independence (1776), and the third President of the United States
(1801–1809).

Jefferson placed education as the foundation of democracy.

Ignorance and sound self-government could not exist together,
the one destroyed the other. Jefferson could never separate
education from the government. Jefferson articulated a theory of
education as it is related to the new role of the citizen in a
democratic republic. He believes that the role education could play in the transformation of the political
populace from subjects to that of citizens. He was awakened by the appreciation of music, wine, fine dining, art,
and architecture.

The pleasure Jefferson found in reading would merge with a belief that maximising one’s educational
opportunities were civic responsibility. Through his reading of Scottish, English, and French philosophers, Jefferson
collected the components of his own philosophy and then synthesised them in the American context. The
fundamental principle of American republicism would offer social, economic, and moral advantages that no
other system could.

In 1818, as written to the Virginia State Legislature, Jefferson clearly stated the connection between education
and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. According to him, the objectives of primary schooling were:

To give every citizen the information he needsforthe transaction of his

business

To enable him to calculate for himself, and to express and preserve

his ideas, his contracts and accounts, in writing.

To improve, by reading, his moral and faculties.

To understand his duties to his neighbours and country, and to

discharge with competence the functions confided to him by either.

To know his rights, to exercise with order and justice those he retains,
to choose with discretion the fiduciary of those he delegats; and to
notice their conduct with deligence, with candor and judgment.

And, in general, to observe with intelligence and faithfulness all the

social relations under which he shall be replaced.

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Jefferson viewed basic education as instrumental to securing, “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” for
Americans because it helps an individual understands his duties and know his rights. Once taught reading and
history, people can follow the news and judge the best way to vote. If the government infringes on their liberties,
educated citizens can express themselves adequately to fight against it.

He defined the school system in three stages with the first elementary or primary schools where children would
learn how to read and write. The schools would be built across Virginia and would be paid for by the people who
live in each area. The next step would be colleges (high or secondary schools today) followed by universities. Here,
students with ability and talent could receive an education that would produce lawyers, doctors, and future
leaders.

Although he supported the idea of public education, Jefferson would not have placed schools under
government supervision. Instead, he argued for the placement of each school at once under the care of those
most interested in its conduct.

Resources for public education would come from the taxpayers but the community would arrange the schooling.
Although at present we face a different set of challenges than Jefferson, his reasoning remains relevant in terms
of school performance, where parents will best manage education.

Reflection activity
How does decentralisation of education as proposed by Jefferson helps in managing the school better?
Discuss.

Webster: Schoolmaster of the Republic

Noah Webster was a political writer, author, and editor at the turn of the
18th century. He has been granted the title of “Schoolmaster to the
nation.” His spelling books taught American children how to spell and
read, and his name has been synonymous with “dictionary” in the United
States.

Webster disfavoured the American education of his day which lead him
to initiate the change. Some states failed to educate the poor, and there
were few good textbooks. Incompetent teachers taught children Latin
before teaching English in grammar schools. Webster delineated a plan
to correct America’s educational system in the introduction to his
speller. He believed that American children should be patriotic and
speak “American” English. He opposed the establishment of school
libraries, believing they would be of little worth to the poor. Webster also
opposed Bible reading in school because daily Bible study would alienate
children from religion. However, Webster strongly advocated for the education of females as long as women did
not assume men’s roles in business.

No man has left such an impact on the American language as Noah Webster. Even during his own lifetime, he
received awards from his peers, and his pragmatic views influenced future educators. Webster freed America

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from intellectual inferiority, and his dictionary promoted English courses in school curriculums. The speller sold over
a hundred million copies until the 19th century when it was replaced by the McGuffey reader, and the dictionary
has gained renown as the greatest dictionary of the English language. Few secular critics oppose Webster if any.

Webster’s theories about language should be applied to all areas of education because students should have
a thorough knowledge of English to use in their vocation. Textbooks should be strong and appropriate to the age
of the student. Webster’s advocacy for female education is also welcomed and used in the modern era. While
secular critics praise Webster’s work, Christian critics must carefully analyse Webster’s theories because his
opposition to Bible teaching must be delivered. Bible teaching is essential for Christian education, and it cannot
be ignored. Students trained in the Bible will have their faith strengthened, not diminished.

Reflection activity
Why do you think Noah Webster was forgotten despite his contributions to the American’s society?

National Education Policy Malaysia

Education Act 1996 also known as Act 550 was drafted to abolish the Education Act 1961. Generally, the
Education Act 1996 introduced new enactment on education policy based on the National Philosophy of
Education (FPK).

The essence of FPK includes the following:

“Education in Malaysia in an ongoing effort towards further developing the potential of an individual in a
holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally,
and physically balanced and harmonic, based on the firm believed in and devotion to God. Such an
effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess
high moral standards, and who are responsible and capable of achieving a high level of personal well-
being as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and
nation at large.”

Branch of Philosophy Characteristics of FPK Implications

Metaphysics Holistic and integrated Important that individual potentials
Meaning: the universal body of knowledge and abilities develop in a holistic and
that must be taught by the teacher and integrated manner.
learned by the pupils.
Epistemology On-going effort. • Important to be able to adapt and
Meaning: Knowledge is ever-changing; no new developments, for example,
absolute knowledge. ICT.
• Changes to knowledge and
personal skills development.
• Emphasis on life-long learning.
Axiology Firm belief and devotion to God. • Role of vertical relationship, that is
Meaning: Element of existence and role of individual with God.
religion. • Role of horizontal relationship, that is
individual with others and the
High moral standards and responsibility. environment.
Meaning: Role of moral values, ethics, and • Acceptance of God of Creator and
personality. Almighty.

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 • Importance of religious and moral
teaching.
• Focus on human development.
• Emphasis on personality
development.
Logic Competent. • Need for good and systematic work
Meaning: Importance of valid and non- procedure.
valid reasoning. • Fostering self-competence, for
example, academic qualifications,
professional qualifications, and wide
experience.

Analysis of National Philosophy of Education with Reference to Its Elements

a. Education is an ongoing effort

• Education is a process of acquiring and transferring knowledge, skills, and noble values.
• The acquisition and transfer processes are ongoing starting from early age till death.
• Early education is important in order to shape the personality of young children from the age of 1 to 6
years.
• Upon completion of schooling years, the individual continues to enhance his knowledge, skills, and
character.
• Continuous education will assist the individual to adapt to various types of changes

b. Development of individual potential

• Every individual has been blessed by God with hidden talents, potential, and abilities
• Talents, potentials, and abilities should be tapped, nurtured, developed, and enhanced through social
interaction with others and the environment.
• Education should offer individuals opportunities to develop their talents/potential/abilities.

c. Holistic and integrated development of the individual

• Enhancements and development should preferably encompass four aspects, namely intellectual,
spiritual, emotional, and physical.

d. Balanced and harmonic being.

• Importance of knowledge(intellectual).
• Good personality (emotional).
• Belief in God and good character (spiritual).
• Good health (physical).
• Balance of the four aspects will produce an individual who can live in harmony with others.
• Resilience to face all of life’s challenges and problems.

e. Intellectual element
• Possesses three basic skills (3R) Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.
• Always strives to acquire and develop true knowledge.
• Possess creative, critical, and reflective thinking skills.
• Willing to share knowledge with others and the environment.

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References:
1. Ornstein, A. C., D. U., Gutek, G.L. & Vocke, D. E. (2017). Foundations of Education. (13e) USA: Cengage
Learning.
2. Ministry of Education (2020), National Education Policy Malaysia. Malaysia Education Blue Print 2020 –
2015.
3. Carpenter, J. (2013). Thomas Jefferson and the Ideology of Democratic Schooling. Democracy and
Education, 21 (2), Article 5.
Available at: https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol21/iss2/5
4. https://democracyeducationjournal.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=home

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